3rd Quarter Report
Only one more quarter stands between the Rockets and the victory they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They are way out in front with a 96-73 lead over the Trail Blazers.
If the Rockets keep playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 12-5 in no time. On the other hand, the Trail Blazers will have to make due with a 6-10 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who's Playing
Portland Trail Blazers @ Houston Rockets
Current Records: Portland 6-9, Houston 11-5
How To Watch
- When: Friday, November 22, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Toyota Center -- Houston, Texas
- TV: KATU 2.2 ABC
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $8.48
What to Know
The Rockets will be playing the full four quarters on Friday, but they're expected to have things wrapped up well before that. They will host the Portland Trail Blazers at 8:00 p.m. ET at Toyota Center. The timing is sure in the Rockets' favor as the squad sits on six straight wins at home while the Trail Blazers have been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
The Rockets will bounce into Friday's matchup after (finally) beating the Pacers, who they had gone 1-9 against in their ten prior meetings. The Rockets took down the Pacers 130-113 on Wednesday. Houston pushed the score to 98-77 by the end of the third, a deficit Indiana cut but never quite recovered from.
The Rockets' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Alperen Sengun led the charge by dropping a double-double on 31 points and 12 rebounds. Sengun had some trouble finding his footing against the Bucks on Monday, so this was a step in the right direction. The team also got some help courtesy of Jabari Smith, who went 8 for 13 en route to 23 points plus eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, the Trail Blazers' good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They fell 109-99 to the Thunder.
Even though they lost, the Trail Blazers smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds (they're ranked third in offensive rebounds per game overall). That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in 24 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Houston is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-5 record this season. As for Portland, their loss dropped their record down to 6-9.
Friday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: The Rockets haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 12.1 turnovers per game (they're ranked fifth in turnovers per game overall). It's a different story for the Trail Blazers, though, as they've been averaging 16.7. Given the Rockets' sizable advantage in that area, the Trail Blazers will need to find a way to close that gap.
The Rockets beat the Trail Blazers 116-107 in their previous matchup back in April. Do the Rockets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Trail Blazers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Odds
Houston is a big 12.5-point favorite against Portland, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Rockets as a 9.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 224 points.
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Series History
Houston and Portland both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Apr 12, 2024 - Houston 116 vs. Portland 107
- Mar 25, 2024 - Houston 110 vs. Portland 92
- Mar 08, 2024 - Houston 123 vs. Portland 107
- Jan 24, 2024 - Portland 137 vs. Houston 131
- Feb 26, 2023 - Portland 131 vs. Houston 114
- Dec 17, 2022 - Portland 107 vs. Houston 95
- Oct 28, 2022 - Portland 125 vs. Houston 111
- Mar 26, 2022 - Houston 115 vs. Portland 98
- Mar 25, 2022 - Houston 125 vs. Portland 106
- Jan 28, 2022 - Portland 125 vs. Houston 110
